Here’s a question Ive been asking myself a lot lately (thanks to a most cool brother);

When it comes to improving my fitness, why should I go through all the pain and sacrifice of exercising my body hard everyday, if I’m gonna continue to throw toxic chemicals into it? Doesn’t make much sense.. does it?

Good old fashioned common sense (which sometimes eludes me), tells me that eating healthy and natural untainted foods, surely must be better you for you than ingesting food that is treated with hormones and pesticides. How could it not?
Convinced that this is not only the right thing to do, but also the wisest, I’ve decided to switch from a conventional diet, to an all Organic one.

Ive already started with fruits and vegetables because they’re easier to find at the local markets. As I get better at doing this, I’ll start including dry and canned goods, and then eventually on to meats and dairy. I’d like to be 90% organic in 3-4 months.

Going Organic is obviously more expensive, but cost shouldn’t be an excuse. I spend $60 on gym fees and $25 for a haircut every month without batting an eye. Why would I even think twice about spending a little extra on something that can only make my life better. Besides, there are informational web tools out there that can help you get the biggest bang for your organic buck… you just have to be a savvy shopper and know what to look for. Remember too, that locally grown food takes less gas to transport it to market, which means less environmental pollution. So there’s a positive impact on more than just ones own body.

Without getting into politics of what’s considered safe and healthy, the turning point for me was this; Why do something only half right? Improving your health requires more than just working out regularly, you also need to fuel and nourish your body with clean natural food.
I love this line by Michael Palin……“All I ask of food, is that it doesn’t harm me.” (Monty Python’s Flying Circus)

6 Comments

So your brother got to ya some more, huh? Sounds like he's having some good influence. Once again, I need to take a page from your book, man.
Keep it up, rockstar, and good luck with this part of your journey!

I'm a fan of locally grown, and prefer to grow my own when I can. I'm also a huge fan of grass-fed meat and free-range chickens. The one thing I will not buy organically however, is milk and dairy products. My educational background is agriculture. For me, I have the ethical dilemma knowing that often instead of a dairyman treating a sick cow because that would make her no longer "organic", they allow her to continue to be ill with "name your favorite dairy cattle ailment here" and often feeling pain. I know a few dairymen in the Central Valley who run both organic and conventional dairies so that if a cow needs to be treated, she can be, then moved to the conventional dairy. Without that caveat I don't feel organic animal products are ethical or healthier (who wants products from a sick animal?) and quite honestly, most organic producers don't go to those lengths. I feel that the product from an healthy animal who, perhaps some time ago was treated with approved drugs, is still healthier than possibly sick animals producing a product entering the food chain. Just food for thought…

We are lucky where we live as we so have locally grown farm shops but it is a huge effort to get there and not be floored by the organic musty smell of compost, hay, animals and whatnot!

We also grow a good amount of our summer veg, plus my parents have a mini orchard, apples and pears, so we get a lot of those. All organic and home grown. Delicious.

Yes it is more expensive, but you can off set the cost against the amount of candy you are no longer buying-and the kitty should just about work out even.
I always say you can't put a price on your health-so I am glad you seem to be thinking that way too.

Hope you feel full of zing very soon-Incidentally, There is a myth or a truth? in eating local produce and particularly local honeys, for helping with allergies too-and I know you've been blighted this season.

Plus you'll shed a few pounds-and you'll be pleased with your new streamlined race walking shape!

Good Luck!

(PS: This is comment number 2. My 1st-even lengthier one got eaten by my shaky nebbie hands accidentally clicking what was clearly the wrong button!)

We've been on a mostly organic, flexitarian diet for about 9 years now – and it was the kid's asthma that started it all. I'd never wish spazzy lungs on anyone, of course, but I'm grateful for the lessons her asthma's taught me! I've actually written a few articles about how to buy and cook organic on a budget for other publications, and I've been weighing whether to do a series on the blog.